Bakugan: Defenders of the Core

X360, PS3, Wii, PSP, DS

HEXWhen the Vexos use evil crystals to stop The Resistance from brawling so they can destroy the centre of the Earth, a boy transported from an alternate universe thanks to a VR accident is the only hope to stop the invaders, due to his immunity to the effects of the Vexos crystals and his ability to see Abyss, the spirit of the planet...

DARRENIím sorry to interrupt you, Hex, but you appear to be speaking gibberish.

BAJOSheís not, Darren. Thatís pretty much the plot of Bakugan: Defenders of the Core, the latest game based on the popular collection-based board game and anime series. We reviewed the Xbox 360 version.

DARRENBut that doesnít make any sense. As I understand it, brawling with Bakugan involves throwing small metal balls that transform into giant creatures. How do crystals stop people from throwing metal balls at each other?

HEXIt doesnít make a lot of sense, and unless youíre a rabid fan of the anime series thereís not a lot in the story to get you hooked. The story missions are broken into two distinct parts. Most missions begin with a stealth section in which you have to sneak around, avoiding Vexos guards and robots, and end with a large scale battle between giant monsters.

BAJOI have a real issue with the camera in the stealth sections. Itís rubbish. You have no control over it, so you have to contend with whatever angle it decides is best for your position. Itís not easy to avoid guard patrols when you canít see them half the time.

HEXYeah, the camera is pretty awful. But at least thereís a feeling of progression there, unlike the actual brawling part.

BAJOEach Bakugan controls the same; and with the exception of a few special ability cards that you can unlock, the first fight feels pretty much exactly like the last. The only real strategy is in choosing the right Bakugan to fight with. Each of the monsters has an element it is strong against, and another it is vulnerable to.

DARRENLike the way I am strong against NOOBS and weak against...well...um...nothing.

HEXSo the fact that you never go outside when itís raining, and that you give puddles a wide berth means nothing?

DARREN...Affirmative

HEXI have to say that this is a really nice looking game. The characters look good and the monsters are fantastic and true to the anime series. The fairly frequent cutscenes look great as well.

BAJOTo me this is a prime example of a misused license. The original Bakugan game was about collection and strategy, but this is about stealth and fighting. Iím giving it 4 rubber chickens.

HEXItís pretty, but just so uninspired. Iím going to give it 4 as well.

SPAWN SELECTS

Do you like the change of our scoring system to 5-star ratings?

Affirmative! It's easy to understand if a game is good or not.

Negative. I preferred the ten out of ten system.

I'm not sure, I'll give it more time to get used to.

I don't care about scores. It's what you say about the game that matters.